The Essence of Leah Clearwater
by SilentMuse.x
Summary: Leah has always been misunderstood. All she needed was for one person who loved her enough to understand her. To break the walls that she built around her heart. It was all she needed, and she would be happy. Truly happy. Rated T to be safe.
1. The Real Leah

**Chapter 1:** The _Real _Leah Clearwater

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. If I own Twilight, Leah would have her _happy _ending.

**A/N: **I apologize for the grammar mistakes you might encounter. Reviews are lovveeed. A hint of Nessie-bashing by the way. Unfortunately, BD is _not _ignored.

"You imprinted."

It wasn't a question. But on instinct, he answered.

"Yes."

"How could you?" she half-whispered. "You said you hate the idea of imprinting."

"It wasn't something I could _control, _Leah," Jacob half-growled.

"You imprinted on a half-breed!" she shouted.

"Don't call her that!" he commanded, unconsciously, in his Alpha voice.

Leah cowered back in fear at the command in her Alpha's voice. "Of course, my Alpha. I will do as you please."

Jacob realized what he just said. "Oh shit. Leah, I'm sorry."

Leah shook her head. "You are my Alpha. I will follow you."

"Leah, don't be like that," Jacob said. "I didn't mean to..." _Shit, I'm being like Sam._

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," Leah said as she walked away from him.

"Fine! Be that way!" he shouted back to her retreating form, his childish temper getting to him. Why should she care if he imprinted? She didn't care about him. _She lost her boyfriend because of imprinting remember?_

But what am I to her for her to be so affected like this?

Oh right, she hates imprinting.

Shit.

***`***

Leah wandered around aimlessly through the forest near the Cullens' house. _Damn the Cullens and their demon spawn of a child, _she thought bitterly.

She thought that by joining Jacob's pack, she would leave Sam and her thoughts about Emily behind.

_Instead I got Jacob thinking about the Loch Ness Monster, _she thought with a shiver.

_Seriously though, _her thoughts continued. _I thought he could finally get over that Bella girl and just move on with his life. But instead, he imprints on her daughter. Great, just great. I wonder if I could survive on my own._

"Don't leave, Leah," came the sound of her little brother's voice. "I mean, just _don't._ I know that you can be pretty annoying at times but you're my sister."

Leah was surprised at the sadness in his voice so unlike his usual perkiness. "I'm not leaving, twerp." _Though I was planning to._ "Just… thinking about stuff and how the hell I could block Jake's thoughts about the Loch Ness monster."

"I could think about what the square root of pi is," Seth suggested.

"Do you _even_ know what the square root of pi is?" Leah asked with a raised eyebrow.

Seth paused for a while until he answered, "_No_."

"Then how could it be a distraction?" Leah asked.

"Well, I know it has a _lot _of numbers in it," Seth said with a slight boyish grin.

"Then why don't you just count from 1 to a million?" Leah asked, a smile now forming on her lips. Seth could be annoying at times but he was still her brother and Leah cared _a hell lot _about him.

"I was trying to make it _sound _cool," Seth said with a pout. Yes, Seth was actually pouting. He was pouting in a ridiculous way that almost made Leah laugh. Well, _almost_.

"Well, it didn't work."

"I know." Seth then paused for a moment, trying to weigh the words of what he would ask. He wished that Leah wouldn't bite his head off if he asked that particular question. "Why do you care?"

"Hm?" Leah asked with her eyes closed.

"Why do you care that Jake imprinted?"

Leah's body suddenly went rigid. Seth backed away, afraid that he upset her. He wished that she wouldn't imprint because she might attack him in wolf-form. Seth almost hit himself as he realized what he just said. Of course Leah couldn't hurt him. She _wouldn't _hurt him. He was one of the reasons why she followed Jake _right_?

But then again, getting away from Sam was also another one.

Seth didn't almost notice that Leah had already spoken. "I don't really know, Seth. I guess it's because in the depths of my heart, I thought that Jacob _could _understand me. We were two _halves_, we could be _friends_. I hoped that it would be that way. You know, I actually offered him the thought of running away together. You can't come, of course. We could just _run _anywhere, to get away from everything." Her face suddenly became like stone, rigid and hard. Seth could almost feel the hatred coming off from her. "But then he became one of them; so lovesick and just so _damn _happy."

Seth walked over to Leah and fought the urge to hug his sister. No matter what happens, they would always be siblings. No matter how much they fight or hurt each other, they would remain to be there for each other. He then looked up at his sister's face and found that her eyes had tears in them. Seth froze. Leah could be anything. She was tough, strong and hard but now, he saw a different side of Leah; the _real _Leah. It was the Leah who cried over Sam, who mourned over her loss. He found the Leah that was _broken _and _vulnerable_.

He then realized that Leah was never a bitter harpy. She was just a girl who loved someone only to have her heart broken in the end. He had finally realized why Leah was so snappy and bitchy. She was _hurting_ and in order to not be pitied, she had to put on a brave face. She had to show them that she didn't need Sam, and she had to show Sam how much he hurt him. At first, Seth found this ridiculous and he thought that his sister was a bitch and she deserved to be hated but now, looking at his sister, he never felt _so _wrong in his life. In fact, Leah didn't deserve anything that happened to her. She was _nice _and _happy_ but fate had turned her _cruel_ and _depressed_.

She never cried at the funeral for their father, and now Seth knew why. The death of their father only made her retreat further into her shell. It was a hard shell that she refused to get away from. She must have been tired of crying. She must be dried up. Things were only worse after their father's death. She had learned she was a werewolf. Or shape-shifter. Whichever. But to her, she was abnormal. There was no record of female werewolves, or shape-shifters, anywhere. Even with them, she didn't belong. She was a genetic dead-end, as she always tells herself.

Seth couldn't help but disagree.


	2. The Leah Who Loved

**Chapter 2: **The Leah who Loved

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does.

**A/N: **Still didn't proof-read so excuse any grammar mistakes. Please do review, they are heavily appreciated. Still post-BD.

Leah Clearwater has a heart. She has a heart so big, bigger than anyone gave her credit for. The problem was that she was tired of following it when in the end, her heart would only be left battered and broken. She just simply stopped caring, and loving. Of course, she still loved Seth and her parents but it was normal.

Leah was bitter. She had to admit that to herself. She has asked herself countless of times why she couldn't just let Sam go. Why she couldn't move on and pretend she was happy for them. Leah knew why. Her pride prevented her from doing so. She couldn't admit to herself that she got hurt. She wanted to make Sam suffer, to give him a taste of his own medicine.

But she also knew that she couldn't let him go because, even though he was too damn annoying and just… _ugh_, she _still _loved him. Her heart was as good as dead, but she knew it still worked. She knew that in a corner of her numb heart, Sam still remained. And Leah hated him for it. She hated herself for it. She couldn't understand why he still remained in her heart even though he hurt her without regretting anything.

Sam destroyed her life. He broke her heart and he broke the bond she had with Emily. Leah felt betrayed and what hurts even more is that she's wondering why she's been betrayed in spite of her faithfulness. But she also knew that she had a fault in this. She knew that Sam wouldn't have the chance to break her heart if she didn't give him her _whole existence_ in the first place.

She grew to hate the idea of imprinting. The only thing she liked about being different from her pack is that she might not have the opportunity to imprint. Imprinting took away their free will, their ability to choose their own mate. Fate chose for them and forced you to enter into this state where you're so happy all the time. Leah had tried to make them realize this but they were _too happy _to care.

If hating the fact that someone's happy because of imprinting makes her a bitch, then Leah would be glad to admit that she's a bitch. She didn't know what's so bitchy about being unhappy for a person that lost their choice. Jacob should understand. Before he imprinted on the devil spawn, he kept on talking about how he _hated _imprinting.

But now, it was like he was the president of the fan club for imprinting. Yes, he even beat Sam in that department.

_Jacob_. Leah didn't know why his name still sent shivers down her spine. She didn't know why she still whispered his name at night, and found herself thinking about him while she did her patrols. She knew she felt a connection with their Alpha but she didn't know how she felt about him. Sure, he could be funny – well, he was before he imprinted. He could be kind and sweet. He could understand who she really was. Leah held on to the fact that Jacob saw through her hard shell and saw who she truly was.

He, like Sam, proved her wrong. Yet again. She was tired of being proven wrong by people. She was tired of being betrayed. She was tired of imprinting. But most of all, she was tired of denying what she really felt. She was tired of putting on a front for people to not be pitied. She was tired of pretending to be someone she's not.

Deep down inside, the Leah who's carefree and kind was still there. But the Leah who was hard, cold and bitter beat the kind side of her into near _non-existence._ The sarcastic remarks, the harsh comments, the ruthless actions – they were Leah's lifestyle now. They're habits that are hard to break. Whenever Leah _tries _to be nice, the other pack members just shrug it off. They think that Leah was just trying to let them think that she was good when in the end, she would just say something that would hurt them.

In the end, Leah just stopped trying to be amiable with the other pack members. If they didn't want to believe her, it was best if she should just stop the fruitless acts.

***~***

Jacob knew what Leah thought about herself. Not because of the fact that he could hear her thoughts during patrols whenever she let her guard down, but because he could understand her in a way. Sometimes, he caught his name in her thoughts. Jacob was surprised because there was no bitterness accompanied in her thoughts just plain sadness.

_Why is she sad for me_? That question kept on repeating in his head. He was the happiest man in the entire world, now that he met Nessie. Or Renesmee, if you preferred. Of course, he couldn't see her as a possible soul-mate now, since she was just a toddler. Or a kid. Based on her unpredictable growth, he didn't know if she was a kid now or just a toddler.

_Could it be the fact that I imprinted? _Jacob thought, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. He shook his head at that. Why should she be sad because he imprinted? She could be angry, of course. She had always hated the thought of imprinting but she would never be sad because of it. So why was it that whenever she looked at him, her eyes mirrored such a deep sadness? She looked like she lost hope. And that was even worse than a breaking heart.

But then again, he remembered what he once said about imprinting. _It fucked off your life, Leah. And I hate it. _Those words echoed in his mind. Those words that he said to her while they were out doing patrols. Those words that had been so true. Those words that made Leah believe in him again, that let her believe that someone did understand her pain.

And when he imprinted, he had literally done something to contradict what he said about imprinting. He had shown her that no one was ever going to care about her, and that she was going to be left alone. _Leah was sad for me because I lost my choice and I had been a jerk to her_, Jacob thought to himself.

But since he imprinted, he didn't care about losing his choice anymore. He was just so happy, just so contented with his life now. The way Nessie's eyes lit up and the way her smile made his day. Jacob didn't care about anything anymore. He had found his other half and he was now clearly encased in an invisible barrier of happiness.

He was trapped in a state that he learned to hate.

***~***

"Leah?" Seth called out in the darkness. He didn't know if she would respond. Seth had told himself countless of times that Leah might want some alone time now but he was worried. "Leah, are you there? Just throw something at me if you want to be left alone."

Surprisingly, nothing came towards his way. No stones or even a shoe. But Leah did answer with a soft, "I'm here, Seth. By the tree. Did you need something?"

"I'm sorry if I bothered you, Leah," Seth said as he walked towards his sister's form. She was sitting on the ground, holding her knees close to her chest. Her hair was a mess and she had smears of dirt on her face. "I was just getting worried. I know you told me you won't leave but I just wanted to make sure."

"Don't worry, Seth," Leah said with a half-smile. Whenever she was with her brother, it was fifty-fifty. At times, her dark side won but at times, her light side won. It was unpredictable. "Just don't be an annoying twerp and I'll stay. But if you become one of those mindless zombies, I _will _jump off a cliff."

"Do you really hate the concept of imprinting that much, Leah?" Seth asked cautiously. "I'm sorry for asking but I'm just really curious about your hatred for imprinting."

"I want people to have their chance to choose who they would fall in love with," Leah said. "I know that I got hurt when I chose Sam, but still. The feeling of choosing him and loving him was more than enough to numb the pain. I don't want fate, or some sort of supernatural power, to intervene with their choice. I want their hearts to choose for them. God gave us free will, but imprinting is taking that away. Love, heartbreak and pain are the things that make us human. They're what make us real."

"You're not just saying that because Sam imprinted on Emily right?" Seth asked. Leah stiffened a bit and Seth immediately regretted what he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Leah said, still looking in the distance. "And no, it's not about that. Even if Sam didn't imprint on Emily, we still can't say that we would end up together. If Jacob didn't imprint on the devil spawn, he would still be pining after the leech lover or he would move on. Who knows right?"

"But Jacob's happy, Leah," Seth said. "If he didn't imprint on Nessie, he would be miserable all the same. If he would be pining after Bella, he would be miserable and hurt. If he moved on, it would be a painful process. Nessie made him happy."

"But it's all an illusion, Seth," Leah said exasperatedly. "The love that they feel when they imprint is _different _from the love they feel when they make their choice. Imprinting love is _fake _but true love is not. You see, when you imprint, it sort of creates this kind of illusion which turn you into this mindless zombie." Leah was crying openly now, because no matter how many times she tries to explain it she can't change the fact that imprinting was real.

Seth just did the most rational thing to do at the moment. He ran to his sister and hugged her tight. Leah was surprised by his action and wrapped her arms around her little brother, comforted by the thought that she didn't push him away. She was comforted by the thought that even if Seth would imprint, he would still be her brother. He would still love her.

"You wouldn't scream at me to get off you right?" Seth asked, his voice muffled a bit.

Leah laughed. "Not now, Seth. Maybe later, or tomorrow but not now. I need the company anyways. Thank you for looking for me, I appreciate it."

Seth pulled away. "I just don't want you to run away without me. If you're going to run away, you're going to have to take me along. If I have to chain myself to you, I would do it."

"Oh cut the sentimental crap, Seth," Leah said. She didn't look annoyed though. She looked like she was about to laugh. "You still have to finish your schooling before we run off somewhere."

"So you'll take me, Leah?" Seth asked, his eyes lighting up in his hope.

"Sure, sure," Leah said, letting out a loud yawn. "I'll take you anywhere you want. Provided that you finish your studies first. And no imprinting, please. Because if you imprint, you wouldn't want to come with me anymore."

"Hey, what about me?" someone else asked. Jacob Black's tall form appeared in the clearing. "Can't I tag along your little road trip? I am your Alpha after all."

Leah's eyes narrowed. "Jacob Black, if you even get ten feet near me I _will _phase and shred you to pieces. I'm fucking serious, Black. Don't come near me."

Jacob took a step forward. "Aw come on Leah. I'm not going to say something utterly obnoxious. And I truly am sorry about what happened earlier. If ever started acting like a lovey-dovey zombie, you can throw me out."

"But I bet that you wouldn't like it if started to insult you precious, wittle, half-leech, demon spawn--" Leah started with her insults yet again. She couldn't help it if she loathed the Loch Ness Monster.

"Leah," Jacob warned.

"Seth, be a dog... I mean _doll_," Leah said, cringing at the pun. "Be a doll and get me something sharp because I would really want to stab this annoying little mutt!"

"Aw, come on Leah," Jacob said with a slight grin. "Don't be hypocritical. As far as I know, you're a mutt too. And I'm not going to bring Nessie along. I mean, I know that you want me alone. So you're going to get me alone."

Leah seemed to pick something off the ground and before Jake could duck, a pebble hit him right on the forehead. Seth's eyes widened before laughing out loud. Jacob muttered something before rubbing the spot where the pebble hit him. He shot Leah a look who just stared back defiantly. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest and she looked murderous.

"I told you to stay away," Leah said with a growl. "And did I mention that you're an obnoxious git? I don't know how your ego got _that _big. You're so… _annoying_. And besides, I'm sure you can't even be away from your precious imprint. It would hurt just thinking about it, right mutt?"

"My, my, is Leah Clearwater running out of insults?" Jacob asked with a smirk, ignoring her other jab. "By the way, you forgot mindless zombie, or lovesick puppy, or lovey-dovey zombie."

"Mutt," Leah hissed out. "Dog. Pup. Whatever! You just stay away from me, Black. You and your lovesick aura is sickening, do you understand that? I don't want you near me because you would end up _insulting me_."

"Leah, stop being such a hypocrite," Jacob said. "You insult me and I don't even complain about it. Come on, Clearwater. Where's the bitch I know?"

"Maybe that bitch got tired of being a bitch and decided to be nice for once?" Leah shot back. Seth and Jacob blinked at her. Seth kept quiet while Jacob let out a loud laugh. "As expected. The whole pack would laugh at her and think she was crazy. I'm not _always _a bitch, Jacob. I hope you can get that thought in your thick head."

"Leah, you being nice is like me breaking the imprint with Nessie," Jacob said with a laugh. Leah's eyes narrowed at that. Jacob could compare her to anything, just not something that concerned the mutant. "It's possible but highly unlikely."

"Then you don't know me at all, Jacob Black," Leah said softly that Jacob turned to look at her. "And I actually thought I loved you because I thought that you could understand me. But of course, you just had to prove me wrong."

"Leah, I'm sorry," Jacob couldn't help but say. "I really didn't mean to put it that way."

"I know, mutt," Leah said, turning cold all over again. "But of course, I'm used to it. I'm used to people thinking that whenever I'm nice, it's all an act. It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt though." Leah turned on her heel. Her body was shaking in anger or her sobs but nevertheless, they heard a crack and Leah phased which ended up shredding her clothes into pieces. _Crap, that was my favorite pair of shorts, _she thought with annoyance.

"Nice move, Black," Seth said sarcastically. "I thought you actually cared about her."

"I better go after her," Jacob said, readying himself to phase.

"Don't," Seth said softly. "Just let her be." Seth stared after the small grey wolf that was his sister. "You know, Jake, Leah is right. She's not always bitchy. If you really knew her, you would think that she actually pretty nice. Nicer than we give her credit for."

"I know," Jacob said. "I just didn't want to admit it."

Seth's eyes widened though. "You do realize that she said she loved you right?"

Jacob blinked at him. "She did?"

"Yeah. She said, _and I actually thought that I loved you because I thought you could understand me_," Seth said, perfectly mimicking his sister's voice. Jacob thought that was amusing but what Seth said made him do a double-take. "She loved you."

"And I disappointed her," Jacob said. "I disappointed her, Seth."

And Jacob Black would never forgive himself for breaking his Beta's heart.


	3. The Leah Who Asked Questions

**Chapter 3: **The Leah Who Asked Questions

She was sitting on the log overlooking the ocean, the one place where Jacob Black often found solace. It turned out the sound of the crashing waves soothed Leah Clearwater. Jacob couldn't help but smile at that but instantly became sober as he realized that he never should have followed her. She found peace here and by following her, he would disrupt that peace.

Jacob knew that Leah heard him approaching so there was no use in backing out now. She slightly raised her head, indicating that she knew that he was here and that it was alright. But that didn't mean that her tiny voice, sounding so vulnerable and broken, didn't surprise him. He was so used to the hard and cold Leah and the Leah he was facing now scared him.

"Jake?" she called out to him in the darkness. She didn't turn to face him, she just continued on looking over at the ocean with the waves reaching the shore. Jacob didn't know where she got the extra clothes but he didn't ask.

"Yeah, Leah?" he asked back, slowly approaching her. She moved a bit, giving him space to sit on the log. He sat down without another word, looking ahead on the ocean with the sounds soothing him too.

"Do you know why fate hates me so much?" she asked, so much bitterness in her tone. Jacob turned to look at her and was surprised to find a pained expression on her face. "Because I sure don't know why. I've been a good girl, Jake. You know that, hell _everyone _knows that. I was a good girlfriend, with no complaints. I gave Sam everything but I still lost him because of fate. I've been a good daughter. I loved my Dad and I followed everything he said but I lost him too because he died." Her voice broke at that. Jacob just let her continue with whatever she was saying. "I've been a good friend but I still lost them all because I became a werewolf."

"Shape shifter," Jacob corrected her.

Leah laughed bitterly at that. "Shape shifter, werewolf, whatever you call it! I'm still a freak of nature, Jacob Black. I'm a miserable bitch who finds pleasure in other people's pain. Embry. Quil. Sam. You. Even my own brother! I'm a bitch, Jacob. That was a fact that I accepted long ago but I'm only a bitch because this is the way fate molded me."

"Fate molded you to be a bitch?" Jacob asked.

"I guess," Leah said. "Fate made me a bitter, cold-blooded harpy. The Leah you saw while we were still with Sam's pack that was the fate-molded Leah. But now, Jake, the vulnerable Leah you're seeing, the Leah who lets her guard down is the real me, Jake."

"Then why won't you show us this side of you, Leah?" Jacob asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why won't you show us the Leah who's nice, the Leah who's vulnerable? _This _Leah?"

"Circumstances change people, Jacob. Whether it is good or bad. Change is inevitable." Leah paused for a moment. "The harsh comments, the sarcastic remarks, this is my lifestyle now and if ever I started to act nice, you just shrug it off. You don't believe me. You don't believe the real me."

"So you _do_ care," Jacob couldn't help but mutter.

With that comment, Leah smacked the back of his head. "You are such a jerk, Jacob Black. Of course, I care. I may be a bitch and a shape shifter but I _am human_ in a way. I still have emotions. If bloodsuckers can care, I can too."

"I can't believe you compared yourself to a leech," Jacob said as he scrunched his nose, as if he was breathing the sickening scent of a vampire. "And you know what, Clearwater? I think you _are _running out of insults. My, my, is Leah Clearwater being soft?"

"I just don't like insulting pedophiles," Leah retorted. "I mean, from the mother, to the kid. That's disgusting, Jacob Black. Don't you even wonder about the consequences when the demon spawn grows up? I could just imagine you telling her stories, '_hey, do you know that before you were born I used to fantasize about your mother?' _Disgusting."

Jacob blinked at that and started to laugh out loud. Leah looked appalled. "That's rich, Leah! Once you get behind the insulting message of that, I could find that quite funny. I never knew how awkward my situation with Nessie was."

"That just shows how stupid you are, Jacob Black," Leah said with an unladylike snort. "By the way, why are you here anyways? If you were looking for me, I thought that the first place you would look is the edge of the cliff."

"You weren't seriously considering suicide, right Clearwater?" Jacob asked with a worried look. "Because if you did, then you are more stupid that I thought you were."

"I'd rather be stupid than be stupid _and _cowardly," Leah spat out. "You're such a hypocrite, Jacob Black. Weren't you the one who ran away and never contacted your pack? Weren't you the one who considered running away with the demon spawn, leaving your pack alone and helpless and without an Alpha?"

"I told you that I liked to work solo," Jacob shot in. "But you and Seth just had to join in with me. I _needed _to leave to save Nessie's life. You know that."

"But that doesn't help the fact that you nearly deserted your _own _pack," Leah said. "Do you think Seth and I could save ourselves if ever those bloodsuckers who came decide to attack us? We're brave, Jake, but we're not super strong like your leech friends. We may be shape shifters who heal fast but we're still mortal. Do you remember the attack of the newborns?"

"At least I could come back, Leah," Jacob countered weakly. "What about you? What if you killed yourself? Do you think you can still come back?" Leah refused to answer, or even look at him. "No, you can't. You'll be dead. You can't come back to Seth. You can't come back to your mom. You can't come back to Sam, to Emily! You can't come back to…" Jacob nearly said _me _but he stopped himself in the nick of time. He didn't want to shock her with that like the way he didn't want to spring the '_love conversation_' on her.

"Don't you think I know that already?" Leah snapped. "Why do you think I'm still _freaking _here? Why do you think I didn't jump of the freaking cliff? Well, I'm not sure that could kill me but_ still_. I'm not going to pull a Bella-stunt on you all."

"You just can't consider stuff like that Leah," Jacob said. "I hold a responsibility to you so if anything happens to you it's my fault." Leah just stared at him, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief. "What?"

"You're an_ asshole, _Jacob Black," she spat out. "Could you please explain to me why you're an asshole? Because I'm running out of reasons why. Are you born that way?"

"Ha-ha," Jacob fake-laughed. "_You are_ running out of insults, Clearwater. Because calling me an asshole is so overrated. And no, I'm only an asshole because of you."

"As much I want to appreciate that fact, I can't bring myself to," Leah said. "You still haven't answered my question. Why did you come after me? Are you so masochistic that you want to hear every insult I throw at you?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Leah was surprised at the sincerity of his voice. "I'm not used to the Leah I saw earlier, so I wanted to see if you were alright."

"You better not get used to that Leah, Black," Leah said. "Because you won't see her again."

"Leah, could you please stop making it so difficult to care for you?" Jacob asked her. "Because I really want to care about you but it's just so difficult. You keep on saying that you want people to see the _real _Leah but I don't think you're making an effort. Seth knows the real you, Leah. It's our turn now. It's the pack's turn to see the real Leah, the old Leah."

"The odds of them believing that my good deeds are real are one to a million," Leah said bitterly.

"Then we better try to hit that one shot then," Jacob said with a smile.

***~***

Seth was a very impatient boy. So when Jacob and Leah didn't come back for nearly an hour, he was worried. He considered going after them but he didn't want to see whatever was happening. But Jacob had fiercely insisted that he stay in his house. If Leah was in a pretty bad condition, Seth didn't think that he could handle that image in his mind. Seth was always used to the Leah that was strong, the Leah who was stiff. On rare occasions, his sister would let him have a glimpse of the old her, the Leah that was kind and thoughtful.

Whether it was a simple touch on the shoulder or kiss on the forehead, Seth grew to love and understand his sister more. He just wanted for her to be that gentle and caring again. He wanted the Leah that used to protect him from his fears or the Leah that made him cookies. He wanted the Leah that helped him with his homework or his projects. He missed his sister.

But after Sam had imprinted, Leah's whole life changed. She was bitter and cold and Seth was appalled at the sudden change. He wanted to hate Sam but after he realized what they were, he couldn't bring himself to. Leah became someone who was easy to hate and hard to understand. Seth suddenly became distant to his sister.

"You know, wallowing in the darkness won't help you find your sister," a familiar voice said. Seth turned and was happy to see his sister, smiling at him. "Hey Seth."

"Leah!" He didn't care if she pushed him away. He ran to her and threw his arms around her. "Are you okay? Did Jacob do something? Do you want me to shred him to pieces?"

"HEY!" came Jacob's voice. "Did you honestly consider shredding your Alpha to pieces?"

"Yes," Seth deadpanned. Leah laughed, _genuinely laughed_. "After all, this is my sister you're talking about."

"As much as I appreciate the effort," Leah said. "I can take care of myself, Seth. By the way, do you want cookies? I'm pretty sure we still have some chocolate chips here and some flour."

Seth blinked at her. "Who are you?"

Leah stared at him. "I'm your sister, Seth."

Because of those four words, Seth knew that the Leah he wanted was back.

***~***

"Jacob Black, I'm not sure about this."

Leah and Jacob were currently in front of Sam and Emily's home. The couple's kid was turning a year old that day and Jacob had decided that it was the perfect time to try and hit that one shot. So Jacob had literally forced Leah to change into something pleasant and dragged her all the way to the Uley residence.

"Will you stop using my full name, Leah?" Jacob asked with a laugh as he pulled on the collar of his shirt. He looked at Leah who was wearing a sundress with floral patterns. The dress made Leah look like a witch lost in a happily ever after. Jacob could see the great effort she made on her cropped hair. After all, you can't do much with a pair of kitchen shears.

"I don't even remember the kid's name," Leah objected weakly. "Was it Derek?"

"No, I think it was Leon," Jacob said, rubbing the back of his head.

Leah turned to look at Jacob. "You don't even know the name of the kid, do you?" Jacob just smiled sheepishly. "Jacob Black! I cannot believe you dragged me all the way here when you don't even know his name."

"It's Nathaniel, actually," Seth chimed in. He had finally caught up with them. "I can't believe you don't know the name of your own cousin's son's name."

"It's not my fault I didn't give a damn until now," Leah said.

"Language, Leah," Jacob scolded lightly.

"Oh deal with it, Black," Leah said with a frown.

"Ready to hit that one shot, Leah?" Jacob asked.

"As ready as I would be if I faced a coven of newborn bloodsuckers," Leah said with a mocking smile.

Jacob rolled his eyes as he knocked on the door. Leah readied herself to show the pack who the real Leah was. She weighed the present she had for little Nathaniel. She wished that the pack would see it as a genuine act of kindness and not treat the present as some bomb ready to explode.

**A/N/: **I think I'll save the "Jacob and Leah talk about love" for the next chapter. Haha.


End file.
